Marine report warns of effect of climate change and other issues on oceans and coasts
A new report on the state of New Zealand’s marine environment warns of the serious effects of climate change and other issues on the unique life in our oceans and coasts.
Our marine environment 2019, a joint report by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ, highlights the four most pressing issues facing our oceans and coasts. Adding to the effects of climate change, river sediment, waste, urban development, fishing and shipping are harming – sometimes irreversibly – our native marine plants, animals and the habitats they live in.
“New Zealand’s oceans act like a giant sponge against the effects of climate change. It’s likely our seas take up more carbon dioxide than our forests, but there is only so much the oceans and the life in them can take – and the limits aren’t yet known,” Secretary for the Environment Vicky Robertson said.